WordPress – Keep Your WordPress Clean

Cleaning Your WordPress

Once in a while, WordPress requires a little housekeeping to keep it running smoothly. In this article, I will go through some of the common maintenance tasks that you should be doing on a regular basis.

Upgrade WordPress

If a new release of WordPress is out, we recommend that you upgrade. These new releases often include new and improved features and fixes. You don’t have to install a new release the very day it comes out. You can wait. It is recommended to check in with WordPress for updates and upgrades at least every three months, six months at the most. Check WordPress or WordPress Downloads for latest version available.

Note: You should get a notification in the admin area when a new update is available. Additionally, if you installed WordPress via Softaculous, it will alert you of an available update.

Plugins

Plugins are an exciting feature of WordPress. They add functions and features to your WordPress site such as adding customized post listings to featuring a local weather forecast on your site.

With the hundreds of plugins available, it’s fun to test drive them, trying out different ones to see what they will do, if you need them, and if they really add to your site or clutter things up. Once in a while, you should do a little housekeeping on your plugins.

Upgrade Plugins

Every three to six months, check for the latest plugin version. This is easy to do from the Administration > Plugin Panel. If an update is available, WordPress will notify you with a banner below the plugin. Just click the “upgrade automatically” link, or click the “Download” link if you would prefer to upgrade manually.

Delete Old or Unwanted Plugins

To uninstall a WordPress Plugin:

Go to Plugins screen.

Find the Plugin you wish to deactivate and uninstall.

Click Deactivate.

The Plugin will initiate the deactivation.

Most WordPress Plugins have an option to completely uninstall themselves, though not all. If you wish to remove a WordPress Plugin permanently:

Check the WordPress Plugin instructions in the Details readme file on how to properly uninstall the Plugin.

If the WordPress Plugin required the addition of code to the WordPress Theme, manually edit the Theme files to remove it.

Deactivate the Plugin and remove it manually through your FTP program.

Author Spotlight

TJ Marsh

My name is Tj Marsh. I spend about 16 hours a day on the internet. Running my company and helping out here at Arvixe. I live in the good ole Arizona where it gets ridiculously hot. I love WordPress and a lot of other open source software along with coding.